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Thursday, February 28, 2008

Mother's day comes early

Back to school after half-term which surprisingly went very well. I say "surprisingly" because virtually every school holiday my husband is in London and, even though I have help, I can find it difficult. It is not that he is away all the time. I know it would be worse if he was on the oil rigs or in the army. He is only away a few months a year it is just that it is the months that count - the holidays and the days the kids are sick and the days I just hurt with missing him. Anyway, the holiday went well. The children and I stayed here and went hither and thither, but my favorite moment was late one night last week. I was lying with the seven-year-old at bedtime and he said during the recent open week at school when parents were invited in, a friend of his teased him about the fact he had not wanted me to go home. He said: "He called me a 'mama's boy'." I lay next to him in the not quite dark. I said: "Is that right? And what did you say?" He looked across at me. He said: "I told him", I could hear the patience in his voice, "everybody loves their mummy"." I said: "Quite right."

My favourite moments of the day are when I snuggle up with my five year old daughter. There is nothing better than those warm-as- toast, stick-thin little arms folded round my neck, or when she strokes my hair or we rub noses. I know it sounds sickly from the outside but it's not. It's very very special, and they don't do that for ever, do they? Enjoy it while we may...